The Fog

Into the fog for a few hours chucking a lure around.


And found this beautiful little monster lurking about.


A Rage Grub doing the business.

Signs Of Life

New section of The River Wye, the furthest upstream I've fished it (so far) - guest of my mate Jack. The morning was spent leap-frogging upstream with lures. As well as trying to bank a pike, also looking for signs of baitfish as a starting point for an afternoon on the deads.


I landed a little jack about a pound, probably watching a shoal of fish. Our only clue. In the afternoon I went back to the swim, launched out a sardine and was soon rewarded with a 14lb 1oz long, lean beauty - double #10 of the season. The only action - but we'll be back...

Marraskuu Drought

Let's see if I can have a better November this year. First session of the month wasn't looking hopeful - jack lost on a lure and a run that nicked my sardine. And it was getting dark...

I left the deadbait in while I packed up - and a last second bob on the float. Ten more minutes then. As I gave up, a run, and a pike to start the month. Hopefully the first of a few November pike...

Halloween

Paternoster sardine - 4 runs; 1 dropped, 2 hook-pulls and one pike landed. Not ideal - but every trip that sees a pike on the bank is a good one, and a double at 13lb 7oz makes it a great one.

Plus 8 perch on the lures - I'll take it - especially as upcoming November is traditionally a tough month for me (only one pike last year and two the year before) - time to try and break that trend...

Stone Cold

Storm Austen temporarily pressed pause on my Wye pike campaign, shame, I was on a roll. But I couldn't resist a (back-up plan) few hours on The Pits. One lost, one tail-walking ugly-beauty landed. Nice.

Rescued Picture

Thankfully I got a good mat shot of my 26lb 1oz lure PB on my phone (above). Bit gutted about the trophy shot though - so I ran the two rain-soaked ones I had through a photo enhancer (below) - not perfect - but cleaned them up far better than I could in Photoshop.


Edit: Plus one Mick from Piscatorial Quangswagging cleaned up (above).

Every Picture…

Every picture tells a story. In this case it was hammering down, I had lost the bankstick for my camera and I'd landed a monster pike. Balanced my wet camera on a rock and a couple of terrible photos.

Madman fishing in horrible weather, soaked through - but a fantastic 26lb 1oz pike hit my battered SG lure. A new lure PB, just 4 days after beating my bait PB - a rather splendid few days fishing!

Lure Chucking

Wandering along The Wye chucking a lure about - for 11 hours! And perhaps the gentlest takes I've experienced pike fishing - but they fought like stink when they realised they were hooked.


A Bulldog accounting for the 14lb 1oz pike (top) and a SG 4Play tempting the 18lb 14oz fish (above). That SG is one smashed up lure! And back to my (tail cropping) self-take photos.

Sixteen Years

It was the run I have been waiting 16 years for - spectacular fight and a new PB pike was in the net. I'll cut straight to it, 28lb 0oz of beautiful River Wye pike. F**king brilliant!!

And my luck didn't end there. I normally pike fish alone, but this time the baliff appeared for the weigh-in, then a girl on a bike arrived and took the cracking photo above.

It took 16 years to beat my previous PB of 25lb 4oz - but I'd really like to beat this one much quicker - getting close to the magic weight..!

Luggage (3)

Back to The Lugg, couldn't stay away for long - there was exploring to do. Clear water, ideal for a bit of fish spotting - loads of chub seen.


Not ideal for the perch. Several size, colour and style lures but the perch were reluctant. Lots missed or bumped, and only two landed.


But that didn't matter - I got what I was really after. Cracking, snaggy fight in the narrow river. A small river with pike - perfect!